German School System 1 German School System Basic

German School System 1

German School System: Basic Facts 1 • schooling is provided and regulated by the federal states (16)—only coordinated by a commission (KMK) that brings together the „Länder“ ministries of education German School System 2

German School System: Basic Facts 2 • generally, Germany has a three-tier system based on student talent and preference • only graduates of upper tier, having passed their „Abitur“-exam (similar to GB A-levels), are allowed to enter university • 12 years of mandatory schooling • provided free of charge German School System 3

German School System: Basic Facts 3 • compulsory schooling in existence since 1717 • few resources, i. e. education important for Germany • grading system from 1 (very good) to 6 (unsatisfactory) • in „higher“ education (1 to 15 points) with 15 the best achievement and 5 the failing score • after grade 10: separation in academic teaching institutions and vocationally-oriented teaching & training colleges German School System 4

Special Features… • the school system in Germany is a little different than, e. g. its American counterpart: All children enter in the same program, but at the age of 10, they go to one of four types of schools. • the “dual system” in the vocational sector • Germany has relatively few private schools; they are rather expensive • tertiary sector: private universities are still almost nonexistent (some prominent exceptions in the business realm…e. g. EBS, WHU) German School System 5

German School System--Chart die Hochschule oder die Universität 13 12 11 Berufsakademien etc. Advanced Training die Berufsschule Vocational Training Colleges die Gesamtschule 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 die Sonderschule Specialist College 19+ University (Higher tertiary Education) das Gymnasium Grammar School (grades 11 -13) Technical Training 18+ 17 16 (or combined into a Comprehensive School/High School) die Hauptschule die Realschule das Gymnasium Main School (grades 5 -10) Intermediate School (grades 5 -10) Grammar School (grades 5 -10) die Orientierungsstufe (grades 5 -6 not yet tier-separated, only in some states) Grundschule (common primary/elementary school - grades 1 -4) Kindergarten oder die Vorschule (optional Kindergarten or pre-school) German School System 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 6

Broad Educational Intentions… • German school system puts a strong emphasis on making kids critical and thoughtful citizens via - frequent class discussions (communicative competencies) - a lot of group work (social competencies) - rote learning is less common (focus on critical thinking & problemsolving competencies) German School System 7

• German classes are very similar to other European classes in the way they are taught • some of the subjects differ • to be studied: math, German, sciences, literature, music and arts, history and geography plus gym classes • in grade 3 or soon 1, start of foreign language study--all students learn English • in grades 5 and 7, students can take up additional languages such as French, Latin, Spanish or Russian German School System 8

Here you see what a class schedule at a typical German school might look like: German School System 9

German School System 10

Differences US/Germany as perceived by exchange students: In the USA: - school starts at about 8: 00 and finishes between 14: 25 and 15: 30 - eating, drinking and chewing gum during the lessons is forbidden - teachers have own rooms where different subject are taught - there are no "Klassenverbände" like in Germany, but there are different groups in each “class” - there is a lunch break which lasts about 30 minutes - one lesson lasts 90 minutes and more - normally, same timetable every day - for every subject there about three tests every month - you can choose only one foreign language - from the 9 th grade on students can choose their subjects on their own In Germany: - usually you're also not allowed to eat or drink during the lessons - every group of students has its own classroom (few room changes) - one lesson lasts 45 minutes; 5 -minute breaks in between; after two lessons there is a longer break (about 15 minutes) - the students do not have the same lessons every day - in every major subject, there about 8 -12 tests a year - “minor” subjects require only about two tests a year - you can choose to study up to 4 languages (two are mandatory early on) German School System 11

• German children have summer vacations : six weeks • common for families to travel during vacation • a two-week break in December and January, another two-week vacation at Easter and a further week off in fall • children do not go to school on many religious and national holidays • Usually, German students have 220 school days per year German School System 12

To be mentioned… • German students are held to high academic standards and regularly face oral examinations • still, the nation’s education is a far cry from the strict Prussian system of old • school days starts at 8 am and are generally over by 1 pm • schools tending not to offer anything much in the way of extracurricular activities—historically to be provided by clubs (Vereine) • however, there is a host of school groups such as theatre, choirs etc. German School System 13

Trends… • like almost every aspect of German social policy, the education system is facing a series of major changes • background: demography, economic difficulties and, in particular, international performance tests (TIMSS, PISA etc. ) • PISA: showed that Germany’s educational standards have slipped in recent years • i. e. sparking a major debate about the need for overhauling the country’s education system • first consequences: introduction of educational standards & regular testing German School System 14

A word about teacher education & training… • German teachers are expected to graduate with “Abitur“-level qualifications from grammar school • Moreover, they have to study about five to six years (two major subjects as it is mandatory to teach at least two subjects in school) to the equivalent of a Master`s degree (1. Staatsexamen)—subject to change with the proposed introduction of Bachelor and Mastercourses… • Finally, teachers have to undergo a two-year teacher-training period (partly in school, partly in a teacher seminar) including many teaching observations in due course and a final “state examination“ (2. Staatsexamen) • After that, they may be employed as civil servants (Beamte) by the federal states German School System 15

Thank you for your interest… © St. D Dr. Dipl. -Kfm. , Dipl. -Hdl. Markus M. Böhner E-mail: markus. boehner@web. de German School System 16